When the Husband is the Suspect
From Sam Shepperd to Scott Peterson - The Public's Passion for Spousal Homicide
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of The Defense Never Rests, a look at the modern spate of spousal homicides.
This book provides an overview of several of the most famous homicidal husband cases of recent years, including:
- Sam Sheppard, who inspired the TV series and movie The Fugitive
- Jeffrey McDonald, who became the subject of the bestseller Fatal Vision
- Mister Perfect, Brad Cunningham, who was convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death
- Michael Peterson, who was the subject of the IFC documentary series The Staircase and a Lifetime movie original starring Treat Williams
- OJ Simpson, whose dream team of lawyers defended the former pro-football player and movie star of the brutal murder of his ex-wife as the entire nation watched
- Claus von Bulow, immortalized in the book and movie Reversal of Fortune
- Robert Blake, former TV star, who was suspected of engineering the death of his conwoman wife
- Scott Peterson, a philandering sociopathic husband who almost escaped arrest for the murder of his wife and unborn child.
- Lambert "Bart" Knol, who claimed he suffered from "substance-induced persistent amnesia" when he was accused of killing his wife of 38 years
These cases and others are presented in an objective manner by a knowledgeable voice that recognizes that suspicion, and sometimes even conviction, are not always synonymous with guilt.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers expecting that Bailey-one of the best-known criminal defense attorneys of the last half-century-would provide insight into spousal homicide will be disappointed by this book, which adds nothing fresh to our understanding of the 20 cases discussed. The case studies (including some of the most prominent examples of accused wife-killers, such as O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, Sam Sheppard, Scott Peterson, Claus Von Bulow and Jeffrey MacDonald) are presented in chronological order, but the chapters jump around in time, becoming confusing and sometimes repetitive. Bailey's commentaries at the end of each chapter often digress to general criminal-justice issues rather than focusing on novel interpretations of the evidence. The chapter on Simpson (Bailey was a member of his defense Dream Team) is a tease-the author begins his comments by noting that "a proper delineation of what would need to be said" in Simpson's defense "is best left for another day." And the account neglects defense lawyer Barry Scheck's contributions to the football star's acquittal with his discrediting of the DNA evidence. Facts referred to in the commentary do not always appear in the main text, and the choice of breadth over depth leaves readers feeling short-changed.
